Robeisy Ramirez

Born on December 20, 1993, Robeisy Ramirez was a high-quality amateur fighter who won gold medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. In London, 2012, Robeisy defeated GB’s Andrew Selby in the quarter-finals, Ireland’s Michael Conlan in the semi-finals and current pro Tug Nyambayar in the final.

In Rio, 2016, Robeisy defeated MJ Akhmadaliev in the semi-final before beating Shakur Stevenson in the final by a split decision to claim gold. In 2018, Ramirez competed in the World Series of Boxing initiative. In July 2018, Ramirez defected from the Cuban national team with the intention of turning professional. Ramirez would go on to win the WBO featherweight title as a pro.

Even though Ramirez defected in the summer of 2018, he would not make his professional debut until August 10, 2019, after signing with Bob Arum’s Top Rank in May, 2019. Arum compared Ramirez to Vasyl Lomachenko, although the road to professional glory started bumpy as Robeisy was dropped in round one and lost his debut fight to Adan Gonzales. He bounced back strongly, racking up a series of wins, including a revenge six-round points success over Gonzales.

In June 2022, Ramirez knocked out Abraham Nova in round five. It was his most impressive pro win to date. On April 1, 2023, Ramirez defeated Isaac Dogboe on points to become the WBO world featherweight champion. Ramirez knocked down Dogboe in round 12 and won the vacant title wide on the cards. 

Robeisy made one successful defence by KO before running into unheralded Mexican Rafael Espinoza in Florida at the tail end of 2023. Ramirez dropped Espinoza in round five and was seemingly on his way to a second title defence. Espinoza had other ideas, coming on strongly down the stretch, knocking Ramirez down in the final round and winning the title by a majority decision upset.

Ismael Salas

Shortly after turning pro, still digesting the ramifications of his debut loss, Ramirez hooked up with legendary trainer Ismael Salas, who formerly trained world champions Yuriorkis Gamboa and Jorge Linares. In 2022, Salas openly called on Top Rank to make harder fights for his man.